Greenpeace report: largest agro and food companies are making billions in profits thanks to the war and the pandemic

[https://www.greenpeace.org/belgium/nl/persbericht/51581/rapport-greenpeace-grootste-agro-en-voedingsbedrijven-maken-miljardenwinsten-dankzij-de-oorlog-en-de-pandemie/](https://www.greenpeace.org/belgium/nl/persbericht/51581/rapport-greenpeace-grootste-agro-en-voedingsbedrijven-maken-miljardenwinsten-dankzij-de-oorlog-en-de-pandemie/)

Greenpeace Belgium investigated several other actors associated with the agri-food industry in our country. For example, large supermarket chains and catering companies play a key role in Belgium. *“Since 2020, 4 catering companies (Sodexo, Compass, Aramark, ISS) and 3 retail chains (Carrefour, Delhaize, Colruyt) active on the Belgian market have generated 12 billion profit for their shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks \[4\]* ” , Thijs explains.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, these companies – with the exception of Colruyt – have seen their value on the stock market increase considerably, with a further 12 billion euros in combined value \[5\]. These massive gains come at a time when the global economy is facing extreme challenges \[6\] such as inflation and the energy crisis – and consumers and farmers are directly affected by these crises. In Belgium, the number of people using food aid is increasing, according to the Belgian Federation of Food Banks \[7\]. “ *The organic, bulk and short chain sectors are also heavily affected by the general decline in purchasing power and the rise in prices. These agricultural and economic models, crucial for the future of our food system, are in danger of collapsing* ,” Thijs concludes.